Does He Love You?
by Dizzle
Summary: [Twoshot Songfic]'Things just should have never been started between them, so long ago. But how could something so wrong feel so right.' A twisted relationship between three college students. [CaseyDerekOC] Please R&R! AND CHECK OUT CH. 3 FOR SEQUEL INFO!
1. Part One

**Well, here it is, my second Life With Derek fic. The idea came to me while driving one day and listening to this song. It's just a twoshot, this being part one and chapter two being, well part two. Sorry if you get confused when reading, it kind of switches between present and past tense not so smoothly. So to help clear some of it up, let me say this.**

Regular font is the present, Casey's thoughts and actions, all in her point of view._  
Italic font is all past, Casey's memories, told really from no one's point of view._

**Hope that helps you understand a little bit better. Also, to give you a little background, Part One is like a prologue, explaining the past behind Casey and Derek's relationship. Part Two ends where Part One begins, in the present, if that makes sense. It will once I put it up. Part Two is also where the song comes in to play. It's basically done, just got a little proofing left, so let me know what you think and I'll get it up quickly, yes? Thanks! Please read and review**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek or the song "Does He Love You?" It's by Rilo Kiley and you should really check it/them out._**  
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Does He Love You?: Part One

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As she flips the cell phone closed sadly, Casey MacDonald has a hard time stopping the tears from falling. The more she thinks about it, the more she grasps the fact that the conversation she has just finished was inevitable, for several reasons. Things just should have never been started between them, so long ago. But how could something so wrong, feel so incredibly right? 

Even though it has been several years, she can remember the day very well. She remembers Marti's tears while Derek was hugging her tightly. She can also vaguely hear her mother crying, as well, standing beside her husband. Little was said in the fifteen or twenty minutes they stood on the grass outside of the University of Toronto dormitory; it was a very awkward silence. She felt annoyed that she had to share the walk back, along with the hall she was living in, with her stepbrother. And even though he was talking to her while they trudged back to their rooms, to this day she recalls deliberately blocking out everything he said – except for one thing.

"_Well, Case, that's it; we're finally free." Derek said, draping an arm around her shoulder on the trek towards their building. Casey shrugged it off._

"_From our parents, sure. I can't seem to be able to rid myself of you, however." She retorted, defensively crossing her arms across her chest as he proceeded to tell her how much fun they would have living down the hall from each other._

That was when she tuned him out. Now as she thinks about it, she regrets intentionally not listening to him.

When she had arrived in her dorm room, a pretty girl with tan skin and dark curly hair greeted her. She learned later the girl was Puerto Rican, which accounted for her dark tones.

"_I'm Mia."__She said cheerfully, holding her hand out to Casey. "I guess we're roommates."_

Something about this girl intrigued Casey. Then, in the back of her mind, she knew they would become fast friends. Or, at least she had hoped they would. She had to admit, living in a house with four siblings tended to be crazy a majority of the time. She figured she would like having only one other person to have to share things with.

Now, Casey realizes that she had no idea, no warning, that this girl would unintentionally fill her life with an abnormal amount of dramatics. If only she had seen it back then. But how could she?

While they finished unpacking, the two girls chatted and quickly found they had several things in common. They were both top of their class, both dancers, both had similar taste in music, similar study habits, liked the same foods, had tons of siblings…hell, they even wore the same size. Briefly, she worried that they could possibly be too much alike and therein would lay a problem. She promptly disregarded that thought, however, concluding that two people could not be "too similar".

_What could possibly go wrong?_ Casey remembers thinking to herself. Seconds later, there had been a knock on the door. She had spoken too soon. She can recall the exchange perfectly.

_"I'll get it, you keep unpacking." Casey said to Mia. She was about to open the door when an annoyingly familiar head poked itself in._

"_Hey, Casey, did Nora give you the—well, hello." Derek then entered the room fully, his eyes falling on Mia immediately. _

"_Derek! Haven't you heard of privacy?"_

_The teenager ignored her, however. He hadn't given her much privacy when they lived together, why should he now? He smoothly ran a hand through his hair, never allowing his line of sight to stray from Mia's form"You must be Casey's roommate." He smirked and held out his hand._

"_I am." She replied, eyeing the hand warily before finally shaking it. "And you must be…Casey's loving boyfriend whom I'm sure is going to apologize for your intrusion, right?" _

_Both stepsiblings scoffed at this thought. "Don't count on it." They each said knowingly._

"_I'm Derek, her stepbrother." He informed the girl after shooting a hostile look towards Casey. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly in a mockingly chivalrous gesture._

_Mia pulled her hand from Derek's grasp unsurely. "Mia. Nice to meet you, I think."_

"_Lovely name." He replied, his smirk now a full on grin. "You're not from here."_

"_Good observation." Her voice was thick with sarcasm as she turned and started to put some more of her things away._

"_What part of Puerto Rico are you from?"_

_The two girls stared at Derek, utterly surprised. Mia tried her best not to be flattered. But Casey, however, knew much better that her conniving stepbrother had more up his sleeve than simply finding out where she was from. Mia opened her mouth to answer, but Casey cut her off._

"_I'm—"_

"_Derek, did you need something, or were you planning on staying here and hitting on my roommate all day?" she spat bitterly. The boy's eyes never left the girl in question._

"_Both."_

Casey picks idly at the food in front of her. She looks around her empty apartment and notices for the first time how lonely she actually is. Sighing, she attempts to eat the meal she cooked for herself, futilely trying to keep the memories from resurfacing. She does not succeed. She finds herself smiling slightly as she remembers their first date. It had taken him almost an entire semester to get her to agree to go out with him, but when she finally did, Casey believed her roommate was even more excited than he was. It was rather endearing.

"_What about this skirt?" _

_Casey rolled her eyes, not looking away from her book. "You looked fine six outfits ago. Who would've thought you would get this high maintenance over a date, especially one with…Derek?" She couldn't help it that her voice dripped with loathing when she said his name. The thought of his charms finally winning over her best friend annoyed her to no end, despite the fact that the two of them had come to get along very nicely since they were no longer sharing a confined space. _

_Mia groaned. "Shut up, okay? Derek's really not a bad guy. I realize you two grew up together, but seriously, give him a break, huh?" Casey made a gagging motion with her finger. "Besides, it's just a date. It's not like we're _together_ or something." _

However, that "not being together" status had been short lived and, after their fifth official date into the second semester, Derek had asked Mia to be his girlfriend.

_"Are you sure you can handle this kind of commitment, Derek?" They were at dinner a couple of days after Derek had popped the question; Casey, Derek, Mia, and Derek's roommate, Peter. Mia had both gone to the bathroom and Peter to get a to-go box, leaving the stepsiblings alone._

"_Of course I can. What the hell kind of question is that?"_

"_It's just, well, you've never actually had a _real_ girlfriend. You always wind up finding something better after you're with them for a few weeks. You're in college now, you have to be mature. You can't ask her to be exclusive with you if you plan to treat her like you treated all of your high school bimbos."_

_Derek feigned a hurt look. "I resent that. I am perfectly capable of staying faithful to Mia. Derek Venturi has never cheated on a girl, and never will."_

"_I'm not worried about you being faithful." She retorted, sighing. "She likes you. Don't screw this up, okay?"_

"_Why're you being all defensive, Spacey? Are you jealous or something?" Derek's smirk was enough to make her sick. She curled her nose in disgust._

"_No, Derek! She's my best friend. I _don't_ want her to get hurt, _especially_ by _you_." He almost had a chance to respond, but when he opened his mouth, Mia slid into the booth next to him, causing him to immediately bite back any comment he was going to make._

Sullenly, Casey scrapes the full plate of food into the garbage can. She suddenly lost her appetite. In that thought filled moment, she becomes vaguely conscious of the fact that Derek had inadvertently lied to her that night they were eating dinner. True, he had never cheated on a girl. He had also never, had a girlfriend of more than a few weeks and therefore had no right to tell her that he would never commit such a traitorous act. Still, Derek was doing an incredible job at proving her wrong. Casey could never understand why, but the couple stayed together during the summer break. Derek was in London, with the family, and Mia studied abroad in Spain. The boy was true to his word, and his girl, all summer. Seeing that the only other friend he had in town was Ralph, it left plenty of hang out time for the stepsiblings. She can remember that summer perfectly; the late night conversations, the sharing of secrets, the bonding. Compared to all her others, she still considers this her favorite; even more so than the summer she spent with her father in New York. She and Derek had almost begun to forge the kind of relationship their parents had wanted all along. However, they each felt that they were much to close to consider the other a sibling.

She starts to recall the beginning of their sophomore year. Derek and Mia were incredibly excited to see each other after the break. They both went back to school two weeks early just to be together. Mia and Casey had their own apartment by then. So did Derek and Peter. Casey silently swears that even if she were to try, she could never forget the night everything changed.

_"Mia!" Derek walked through the door unannounced, a plastic bag in one hand, a pair of DVDs in the other. "Babe, I got that movie you wanted." He called as he shrugged his coat from his shoulders and was heading back towards the bedrooms. Casey stopped him._

"_She's at the library with some people from her psychology class."_

_Derek's eyes narrowed for a moment, as he pondered why she hadn't called. He unsurely pulled his cell phone from his pocket, glancing at the screen. No missed calls. Debating whether or not to call her, he slipped it back into his pants. It wasn't the first time she had got caught up on schoolwork, and it certainly wouldn't be the last, that he was sure of. He was about to dig his phone back out when Casey broke into his thoughts._

"_What movie did you get?"_

_The boy smirked, stacking the two DVD cases so that you would only see one. "Mia has never seen the _genius _that is Matthew Broderick in this…" he trailed off, holding up the pair of cases._

"Ferris Bueller_. Nice choice. What else is there?"_

_"What else? I, uh, didn't get anything else." He stammered, quickly shoving the movies into the plastic bag. "Just, you know, a couple boxes of candy and some popcorn and um…yeah."_

"_Uh-huh." Casey waited until he was distracted before plunging into the sack to retrieve the unmentioned film. After a bit of a struggle, she managed to pry it out of Derek's grasp, much to his dismay. "I thought you hated Keanu Reeves." She stated, although it was more of a question._

_Grudgingly, Derek grabbed the DVD back from her. "I do."_

"_Then why the hell did you rent _The Lake House_?"_

"_I thought she might like it." He said quietly, eyes on the table. "Sandra Bullock is pretty nice to look at. Besides, didn't you tell me that he wasn't half bad in this one?" He looked ardently at her, pointing to the movie in question for emphasis._

_Casey smiled and nodded her head. "All right, he's not. But what can I say? It's a sappy romance movie. I mean, the guy is willing to wait two years for her and then—"_

"_Hey, hey!" He swiftly covered her mouth, looking at her sternly. "I haven't seen it yet, remember? Don't spoil it for me." He tentatively removed his hand from her mouth._

"_Sorry." She said, grinning sheepishly. "You want something to drink?" she called, walking into the kitchen. He tried intently to look away as she sauntered down the hall, but found that he couldn't remove his eyes from her retreating form. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen her back before. But somehow, in the bright orange Thompson High t-shirt that was three sizes too big for her, it appeared more attractive to him than before. "Hello? Earth to Venturi."_

_Derek shook his head, pushing some wayward thoughts to the back of his mind. "Hm? Yeah?"_

"_I said I'm going to get some milk. Do you want something?" she asked again, her head peeking around the corner. "We have basically everything that we normally do. I think we even have some beer that you and Pete left over her a few weeks ago."_

"_Water." He replied, almost not trusting himself. "Big glass." Casey's pulled her head back into the kitchen after a quick nod. Derek stood up straight to stretch. He hadn't realized he was leaning so hard on their dining room table. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Hey Case, when did Mia say she was going to be back?" he asked loudly, feeling betrayed by his own voice. He traced her steps to the kitchen._

"_She wasn't sure. She said not too late, but you know how her psyc. class can be. Did she not call you?" the girl yelled back, thinking he was still in the other room._

"_No, she didn't." Derek said, softer, now that he was standing in the door. He caused her to jump slightly at his sudden appearance. "Sorry." He smiled guiltily._

"_I bet it just slipped her mind. She called me and she knew we'd speak eventually."_

_He nodded as he accepted a glass of water from her. "That's the truth. I think I see you more than I do my own girlfriend."_

When he said it, he hadn't meant it any other way, and Casey knew that. But over the course of the next few weeks, even the next couple of hours, the meaning behind his sentence would forever be tainted. And subconsciously, she knew that, too.

_Still smiling, Derek held up the one case he had been hiding before. "So?" he looked at her expectantly. _

_"So what?"_

"_So are we going to watch this movie or stand in the kitchen all night?" he asked, his eye glinting with mirth. Casey returned his smile. Together, they sat on the couch, with every intention of simply enjoying the movie._

Casey lies in the dark, her head turned towards the back cushions of her sofa, thinking she'll probably wind up falling asleep here instead of using the energy required to get herself to bed. It's the same sofa she is currently remembering and trying ever so hard to forget. Desperately, she inhales deep, the scent of the old fabric causing her to reminisce. In a rational state of mind, she never understood why she couldn't bring herself to get rid of the aged couch. But, in times like these, when she is assaulted with so many memories of her college life, she remembers why she swore it would never leave her possession. Unfortunately, after her previous discussion, she feels compelled to rid her apartment of the treacherous thing. Still, she somehow doesn't believe that when the time comes she'll be able to force herself to do it.

"_This is ridiculous! They're not even putting the letters in the mailbox anymore. What, is stuff just appearing on the paper?" Derek's voice was raised, but held a slightly joking tone. From her spot curled beside him, she hit his arm lightly._

"_Don't over analyze it. They're in love, they just don't know it yet. And the house is magical." Casey sat up defiantly, pulling her blanket around her shoulders tightly. "You can't underestimate the powers of a magical house and love."_

"_Casey, it's stupid." He said, turning his body so he was facing her. "Not to mention that it _can't_ happen."_

"_That's why it's called a movie!" she exclaimed, mirroring his body position. "It's romantic and cheesy and gooey and lovey-dovey. Everyone knows it doesn't happen in real life; if it did, the writers would be out of a job. They have to come up with interesting stories that don't happen so people will be interested in watching them. Guys don't really write letters like that."_

"_Oh? Didn't I tell you about my _other_ girlfriend that lives in my apartment; only she's five years older than me? We converse by means of the bathroom mirror."_

"_Derek!" Casey pulled a throw pillow from behind her back and whacked him on the shoulder. "Come on, we're not even watching the movie any more."_

_Grouchily, they both turned back to the TV. It was a few seconds, but Derek finally spoke. "I'll have you know that I can be very romantic, much more so than Sir Alex of the lake House via 2004."_

_She tried hard to bite back a laugh, but found it almost impossible. Instead, she giggled loudly. "Yeah, right. I'll believe that when I see it."_

"_Hey, I can be!" He cried boldly, facing her again. "When Mia was in Spain, I wrote her letters all the time."_

"_Emails don't count."_

_Derek grudgingly backed down, turning away from her. That was when his eyes fell on something of interest. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he hid a smirk. "Okay, fine, they don't count. But just for the record," he started. Casually, he reached behind him and towards the side table. On it was a bouquet of flowers he had bought for Mia the week before. He pulled a blueish-purple flower from the vase and held it out in front of Casey while she wasn't paying attention. "I _am_ romantic." He finished, smilingly wickedly at her._

_Eyes wide, she silently took the flower, instinct telling her to smell it, although she wasn't sure why. "Um, th-thanks, Derek."_

"_Sure thing. You _can_ see for yourself." He whispered suggestively, leaning closer to her. "I mean, if you want to. "_

_Casey's mouth opened and closed a couple of times as she stared at the flower in her hands. "What?" The question was all she could muster out._

"_I picked those flowers because they match your eyes." Derek admitted truthfully, snaking even closer to her. He linked their arms together and laced their fingers. The boy couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when she tensed up and tried to squirm away from him._

"_You got those for Mia."_

"_I know, but I was thinking of you when I bought them." He tried again, this time putting one hand on top of hers so she couldn't get out of his grip. Instead, she stared at their entwined limbs._

"_What? Why?"_

"_Hey, I'm trying to be romantic here and you're totally killing it." His voice was stern, but his eyes were full of mischief. He smiled. "I'll prove it to you."_

"_Prove what?"_

"_Let me prove to you that I'm a sensitive, passionate guy. I know I can."_

_Casey's eyes went from Derek's hands to his face. She searched for some sign the he was joking and found that he held a completely serious look. So, she did the only thing she thought she could. She let him._

Casey stands up in a rage, wanting – no, needing – to get off the sofa. She paces in a circle around the living room. If only she hadn't given in, things wouldn't have become so complicated. She had always considered cheating the ultimate sin where relationships were concerned and under normal circumstances, she would have felt the same way. But they weren't normal circumstances. And the two teenagers hadn't intended to cheat. It was merely a simple agreement between them that Derek was going to show he could do something – almost like a bet. He had been right, anyway. He was a loving guy when he tried to be. She smiles when she thinks about the sweet things he did; like the time he wrote on the bathroom mirror with Rain-X.

_It had been a long week for Casey. Finals were just around the corner and, much to her dismay, Mia and Derek had spent a good majority of their time studying together. She understood, Derek was Mia's boyfriend, after all and he was only Casey's stepbrother. Casey's stepbrother that she hugged, kissed, slept with, had feelings for…and who was to say that he felt anything for her? Neither of them had said those three little words, but Casey had almost let them slip a few times. But honestly, for all she knew, this was just a game to Derek. She told him before it got serious with Mia that he wasn't capable of being in a real relationship for very long, and she had been right, obviously. Here he was being unfaithful, with her. It was wrong. And she'd had enough of being second to her best friend. It was a horrible thing to think, but Casey felt as if she had to make him choose. And she was going to do it tonight. She would confess everything in front of Mia and make him pick. Of course, after hearing that her boyfriend had been cheating on her, with his stepsister no doubt, Mia probably wouldn't be willing to give Derek the chance that Casey was, and that wasn't really fair to Derek. But, why should things be fair to Derek? He's the one that got himself into this mess, Casey was just helping get him out. Oh, wow, she needed to stop thinking._

_What is wrong with you Casey MacDonald? __She sighed as she stepped out of the shower. She pulled her towel from the rack and went to the sink, intending to pull a bottle of moisturizer from the cabinet. However, she was greeted with a message that made her feel like a complete bitch for everything she'd thought while in the shower._

_I Love You. read Derek's familiar scrawl, completely with a heart and a smiley face. And even though it was a huge risk, as Mia could have easily intercepted the message, it made Casey's heart melt. She had to resist the urge to run out in to the living room and make love to him right then. Instead, she got dressed in a tiny pair of shorts and one of Derek's old hockey t-shirts, knowing the sight would drive him crazy. It wasn't until much later, after Mia had gone to her bed and Derek had crashed on the couch, that she was able to return the sentiment._

_Sneaking into the darkness of the room, she tiptoed to where she could hear Derek's rhythmic breathing. Lying carefully beside him, she planted wet kisses all over his face until he responded with his own lips._

_"About your message for me…" she whispered quietly against his ear._

_"Message?" Derek croaked, sounding confused._

_"The one in the bathroom." He was silent, so she took that to mean that he understood. She, however, couldn't see the surprised look on his face. "I love you, too."_

_Derek's entire body relaxed. In all honesty, he'd written the words for Mia the day before. That morning he'd received a nice wake up call from a rather excited girl. It was simply a bonus that they stayed up there when Casey showered. He'd been meaning to tell her for a few days now, but somehow every chance he got, the words wouldn't come out or Mia would come back into the room or something equally distracting would happen._

_"How about I show you how I feel?" the boy said breathily against her lips. "I'm so good at demonstrations."_

_Mia could have easily walked out on them. They could have been too loud, or she might've had to have a drink of water, or to go to the bathroom, or to study some more. But every time Casey felt like she couldn't hold back a moan, Derek sensed it and captured her mouth with his, muffling any sound that could have come out. And Mia never got up. As they laid together, hot, sweaty, and spent, they knew that eventually, things wouldn't be this easy. An unspoken conversation was had between them and Casey reluctantly got up, returning to her room._

She stops pacing now, staring at the couch as the fond memory plays out in her mind like a movie. It was the first time, of many, they'd told each other how they felt in hushed tones. If she tries hard enough, she can actually picture herself squirming beneath him as he whispers the words in her ear, his hands roaming her body.

That wasn't the only sweet thing he had done, either. He would always replace her bookmarks with sticky notes that had adorable messages written on them. Casey has kept every one of them; they're in a box on the top shelf of the closet in her hallway. She keeps them there so that they're just hard enough to get to, but easy enough to reach in case she really wants to see them. Another box she has is the time capsule they built together during their last year of college. He locked it and kept the key, giving the box to her.

_"When we're fifty, no matter what's happened between us, or where we are in the world, I'll have this key and you'll have that box. And if we're not together—"_

_"But, we will be together." Casey interrupted, snuggling under his arm._

_"Right." He affirmed, kissing her on the forehead. "But in case something happens, and we're not, we'll meet up on this date and open it. All right?"_

It was probably the most genuine thing he'd ever done for her.

Besides that, they would always take trips "home", in reality going where ever they pleased, simply to be able to be together, openly, without Mia or any of Casey's boyfriends interrupting. He would read to her in bed on the nights they happened to be alone. He collected some of her favorite poems and combined them in a book for her. They played footsie under the table when they were out on dates with their significant others. Perhaps most notably, they wrote letters to one another. Sometimes they would pass notes, and others, they could write a novel to the other, and leave it in a special place for them to find.

There was always something; a subtle glance, a secret word, something only the two of them would understand. And except for the fact that they had to sneak around and could not be together in public, their relationship was perfect. Unfortunately, Casey never saw the biggest blow of her life coming on a fateful autumn day.

_"Mia, baby? You wanna go out on Saturday night?" Derek asked his girlfriend, nuzzling her neck. Casey tried her hardest not to look up at them, but it was difficult. From her spot on the sofa – hers and Derek's beloved and tainted sofa – she could see perfectly into the kitchen through the large opening in the wall above the bar. Derek had Mia backed up against the sink, his arms around her waist while her fingers tangled in his long, dark hair._

_"Sure." She replied breathily, making Casey cringe. It was tough trying not to be jealous, and most of the time she failed miserably. But she knew what Derek's lips felt like and all too well, she knew the feeling he gave you when he sucked and nipped at your neck like he was doing to Mia. "What time? I'll let Casey know so she can tell Danny."_

_Screw Danny, Casey thought, I want to go out with Derek. You go out with Danny._

_"Well, I was thinking something more like the two of us, you know?" He kept his voice low because he knew Casey was listening in the other room. "We haven't been out alone in a long time."_

_Casey's grip on her pencil tightened. All of a sudden he didn't want to go out with her? That was usually his excuse for going out._

_"Did I really just hear those words come out of Derek Venturi's mouth?" Mia asked mockingly, pulling away from him for a moment to look him in the eyes._

_"Haha." Derek said, deadpanning. "I'm serious, though. I want to take you out like we used to. Go to dinner. See a show. When was the last time you got all dressed up for me and only me, hm? I'm getting old, honey, and this body ain't gonna look that good for much longer, so you better show it off while you can."_

_They both laughed at his joke. "All right." She agreed smiling, after a brief pause. "I would love to go to dinner with you, Derek."_

_"Great." Derek's grin was from ear to ear as he touched their foreheads together. "Pete's out of town for the weekend, you know. I can't wait to take you back to my place and ravish you."_

_Casey drowned out the sound of Mia's giggles by slamming her books shut and stomping off to her room. Derek had some explaining to do._

_"Is Casey asleep?" she heard him ask about an hour later._

_"Probably not." Came Mia's response. "I'm going to take a shower. Will you be here when I get out?" The voices were coming from almost right outside Casey's room._

_"I might be. I've got some stuff to catch up on."_

_"All right, well if I don't see you in a few minutes," she paused and, based on the next words she heard, Casey could only assume it was to kiss him. "I love you."_

_"I love you, too." He said back._

_Minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and Derek entered without waiting for an answer._

_"Hey Case, I'm about to leave."_

_"Okay." Was all she said. She was lying in her bed on her stomach, her face away from the door. Derek could tell her voice was hoarse, like she had been crying._

_"Casey, baby, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed and stroking her back lightly._

_She sighed loudly. "I'm just so tired."_

_"I know, you've been working hard all week. You deserve some rest."_

_"No, Derek, that's not what I mean." Now she was sitting up, her body facing Derek. "I'm tired of this, of us, of lying to my best friend, my boyfriend, the world. It's wrong. It's so, so wrong."_

_The man stayed silent for a minute, registering what she had said. He began to rub small circles on her arm. "Are you trying to tell me that you don't want to do this any more?" he questioned, panic evident in his voice._

_"Yes!" she cried, exasperated. "Well, no. I'm not. I just…ugh, I don't know!" The tears which Derek was sure had stopped began to fall again. He pulled her to him, enveloping her in his arms tightly, caressing her head. They sat like this for several minutes before he finally broke the silence._

_"I love you, Casey. So, so, so much. I thought you knew that."_

_"How can you love me and her?" She was gazing into his eyes, frightened because she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer. However, there was no answer. Just another question._

_"Why don't you believe me?"_

_Casey's eyes narrowed furiously. "What, are you trying to make this out to be my fault? Because if you are, then Derek, this is so done." She said all this while desperately trying to get away from him._

_"No! Shhhhh. Casey, listen to me. I'm sorry, that's not what I meant, at all. Calm down, okay?" The harder she tried pulling away, the tighter his grip on her became and eventually he forced her back into his chest, hugging her. "I know it's hard to understand. I don't even get it, but I do. I love you both. And right now, I'm totally confused. I don't want to hurt either one of you. But you know that you and I can't actually be together freely. At least, not right now. Just give me a little time, all right, baby? I promise things will be better."_

_She found it hard to believe him completely, but trusted him anyway, reveling in the feeling of his arms wrapped snugly around her…until there came a knock at the door and in walked a rather surprised Mia._

_"Hey, do you think I could borrow—oh, um, Derek?"_

_The lovers broke apart abruptly, Casey wiping the tears from her eyes._

_"I, um—she was just…"_

_"Danny and I are having some problems. He's been talking me through them." Casey said, covering up for Derek's stammering. "Sorry if I stole him from you."_

The truth was, at the time, she hadn't been sorry at all. Mia knew that Derek and Casey had become great friends and she never suspected them once. But in all honesty, even if she did think something was going on, Casey would not have felt bad. Because if Mia had found out, she would have left Derek, and then Casey could have him all to herself. Unfortunately, a few days later, the feeling that she would ever have Derek to herself faded.

_It was a Saturday night and she should have been out with her boyfriend – her public boyfriend, Danny. But when he called, she politely declined going out with him, saying she felt tired and was probably going to just get to sleep early._

_But here she was, 3:37 AM, and still wide-awake on that stupid sofa, watching some infomercial. Mia still hadn't come home. Not that she was surprised; Derek had been talking all week about taking her to his apartment and "ravishing" her. But still, she had hoped that, for her sake, he wouldn't actually do it. Apparently, he had._

_She wasn't sure what time she had fallen asleep, but as she woke up around nine, she knew it hadn't been long when Mia walked through the front door. As if all of Casey's worst fears could come true in one moment, they did._

_The girl suddenly became Casey's mortal enemy, wearing the dress from the previous night, a dress she had borrowed from Casey. What little make up she still had on was smeared and tainted, the bags under her eyes indicated that she had had one very long night. And then, Casey saw it, and it became the bane of her existence. There, on Mia's left hand, was a sparkling diamond engagement ring._

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**Let me know what you guys think, please! Even if you think it's crap, I'd like to know. Feedback is always helpful, no matter what kind.  
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	2. Part Two

**So here's the story behind this, before you all bash me. I lost the file. Yes, just lost it. For some reason, I titled it something weird maybe? I don't know, maybe it was deleted. Either way, I couldn't find it when I looked in Spotlight**, **and thus had to rewrite it. Basically, this is shot two. I hope it turned out as well as the original did. And, also, I hope you guys don't hate me for the ending. Once again, I hope the switching between tenses and italics/non-italics doesn't confuse anyone.  
**

**Minor correction, this is actually my third LWD** **fic, I remembered. I forgot about _Make You Smile_. Whatever, irrelevant.**

**Here it is. Please read and review. And also, enjoy.**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Life With Derek or "Does He Love You?" even though I really wish I did. Unfortunately, wishing gets you know where._

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Does He Love You?: Part Two**  
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* * *

Although it had been a good day at work, Casey was a little frustrated considering she had been there three hours overtime. It was time to go home, cook some dinner, and watch some TV, all by her lonely self. Tiredly, she turns the key in the lock of her San Diego apartment and enters, throwing her stuff on the worn coffee table in her living room. Anxiously, she checks her TV in order to make sure it recorded the season premiere of her favorite show, the one she, Mia, Derek, and Danny used to watch on Wednesday nights. 

_It was the hardest moment of her life, forcing herself to be happy for the woman who was taking the love of her life away from her. But as she stared at the ring – the ring she so desperately wanted on her own finger, the ring that was a symbol for the fact that she would no longer be able to continue what she'd had with Derek for nearly the past two years, the ring which represented how much her life had changed and how much she had lost – all Casey could think about was how much she absolutely hated Mia, her best friend._

"_It's beautiful." She said, biting back tears. Thankfully, her friend took them to mean that she was ecstatic, when in fact it was the exact opposite. Casey excused herself and ran to the bathroom. _

"_Casey?" Came Mia's concerned voice through the thick wood of the door about twenty minutes later. "Are you all right?"_

_Flushing the toilet for what seemed like the tenth time, she struggled to stand up. "Yeah, um, give me a second." She quickly rinsed out her mouth and ran cold water over her face, hoping to God her roommate wouldn't be able to smell her breath or be able to see the true meaning behind why she was crying so hard._

Over the next few weeks, she'd done her best to avoid Derek. But when he finally managed to corner her, it was horrible timing.

"_Derek, leave me alone!" she yelled as she stomped up the stairs to her apartment._

"_No! I mean, come on, Casey, we have to talk about this sometime. You've been avoiding me for like a month."_

"_With good reason!" Casey yelled, twirling to face him right as she reached her door. If Derek hadn't had such quick reflexes, they both would have toppled down the stairs and to the ground. They stared at each other for a moment, Casey's eyes threatening to spill over with tears. "What do you expect me to do?" she asked finally, her voice softer. "You're engaged, Derek, to my best friend. If I'm ever going to be able to accept that, I can't just keep seeing you. It's not going to work like that."_

"_I know, I know." He reached out a hand a brushed her cheek lightly. "I'm sorry, okay? I really am."_

_Casey pulled away from him and shook her head. "No, that's not going to work."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_She looked at him, appalled. " 'I'm really sorry'? You can't honestly expect me to just accept your apology and it make everything better. What, like we can just go inside and fuck now that you've told me you're _sorry_?" Disgusted, she turned away from him and started to unlock her door._

"_Well, why not?" Derek reached around her to try and grab the key from her hand. She wouldn't release it, but it did stop her from opening the door._

"_Because, Derek, that's not how relationships work! And considering we're not even in a relationship, it's definitely not how this works." She started on the door again, but this time stopped before Derek had a chance to make her. She turned back around to face him. "God, I don't understand you. I thought I did, but now I can very obviously tell. The past two years have been nothing but a game to you. It's like you're just using me on the side."_

"_Casey, listen—"_

"_No! I'm not going to listen to you anymore, that's how you got me into this whole messed up…thing!"_

"_Hey, I'm the first to admit that I can screw up sometimes, but—"_

"_Oh, screw up sometimes. Right." Casey shot back at him sarcastically. They were both yelling at each other now as she worked frantically to get her key in the lock. Neither one was listening to the other, although they were arguing about the same thing. But one sudden outburst seemed to silence the world._

"_And to top it off, I'm late!!"_

_The stepsiblings stared at each other; Derek's eyes full of shock and Casey's full of regret. Finally, she gathered enough sense to move, so she opened the door. Derek expected her to slam it in his face. But when she left it open instead, he felt it safe to go inside._

"_You mean, like, late to work, right?" he said quietly, still not believing._

_Casey rolled her eyes and shoved a box into his hands. "No, I don't."_

_Derek's wide eyes continued staring; only now they were looking at the pregnancy test he was holding. Heavy silence filled the room and he finally looked up at her._

"_Here." He said, handing her the box. "I mean, you just have to pee on it, right?" When she didn't take it from him, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the bathroom. He opened the box and set it on the counter. "I'll just…I'll be out here, okay? Let me know if you need me." She nodded so he shut the door and went to sit on her bed, waiting impatiently._

_Some minutes later, she came out, holding the white object in her hand._

"_Is…is it pink?" Derek asked, standing up._

"_I don't know yet." She replied quietly, a hand on her head._

_He paused before asking his next question. "Did you actually pee on it?"_

"_Derek!" she snapped, glaring at him. "Just…just give me a second."_

_He paused again. "Well, maybe you didn't do it right."_

_She rolled her eyes. "I think I'm capable of peeing on a damn stick." She said sarcastically._

"_Okay, well, what color is it?" he said, changing the subject._

_Casey looked around for a clock. "How long has it been?"_

_He glanced at his watch and mumbled some numbers. While she was distracted, he grabbed the test from her hand. "Oh, God. Well, it's definitely two lines." He said, his eyes fixed on the screen._

"_Two pink lines?" she questioned, panic evident in her tone._

"_Pink? Um, well, no, no. These…these are like…red. Very red."_

"_What?" She grabbed the test back and studied it carefully. Immediately she deflated, dropping the stick. "They're pink."_

"_These two lines?" Derek asked, picking it back up. "Are you sure?"_

"_They're pink!" she yelled, pacing in front of her bed._

_Derek's eyes went wide as the realization hit him. "Okay, well, calm down. I mean, first of all, these tests are not always accurate."_

_Casey glowered at him, then sat on her bed, frustrated._

"_No, no, no, no. You remember my grandfather? He thought he had testicular cancer, remember?"_

_She deadpanned. "He did. He's dead, Derek."_

"_Yeah, I know. I mean, no, no. It was like the wrong thing."_

"_What?"_

"_Wrong thing that they---diagnosis! It was the wrong diagnosis!"_

"_I hate to admit the obvious, but there aren't too many other diseases that would show up positive on a pregnancy test." She snapped, falling backwards onto her bed and covering her face with her hands. He kneeled in front of her, putting a hand on her thigh._

"_Look, point is, this thing, it doesn't mean for sure that you're pregnant. They're wrong all the time, you know?"_

"_Derek…" she groaned, sitting up._

"_I'll go get you another one, a different kind!"_

"_Derek! I'm six weeks late, okay? Six weeks. That doesn't happen." Acceptance shown through in Derek's eyes and he sat back on the floor, gazing off into nothing. "I'm pregnant." Casey added finally and very softly._

_They both remained quiet, each thinking of what this meant for them. _

_Casey couldn't help but feel a little bit happy. She wanted to have Derek's child, and if she was going to, then it basically meant he would have to leave Mia to take care of her. Because if Mia found out that Derek got his stepsister pregnant, she wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore. At least, that was what she thought._

"_So what are you going to do?"_

"_What?" She looked at him. What was he asking, exactly?_

"_You know, what are you going to do about the…?" he swallowed, unable to bring himself to even say the word._

"_No, Derek, I don't think I do know."_

"_Well, I mean, you have your whole life ahead of you. And I'm getting married. I mean, neither one of us is ready for this."_

_Her brows knit together as she stood up, towering over him. The tears that were threatening to fall before returned. "What are you saying, Derek? Are you not going to help me take care of this baby?"_

"_You're going to keep it?" _

"_Of course I'm going to keep it; _it's our child_!" She was yelling at him again as he brought himself up to her level. "What, did you think I was going to have an abortion or something because this is so unexpected?"_

_He flinched at the word. "I just don't think you're ready for this. And anyway, weren't you supposed to be on the pill?"_

"_Oh, no! Don't even act like this is my fault, Derek!"_

"_Well, how the hell am I supposed to know? I mean, you're so damn jealous of Mia! You could try anything!"_

_She stared at him in disbelief. "You think I got pregnant on purpose?" Derek's silence suggested that the answer was yes and Casey rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, you have got to be kidding me. You're acting like you don't know me at all!"_

_Their eyes locked and neither one dared to speak. Casey, feeling rejected and hurt, threw herself back down on the bed, face buried in her pillow. With a sigh, he sat beside her, stroking her back in a soothing motion. He'd become so accustomed to her tears over the past couple of years; it was almost a reflex to comfort her._

_Eventually, he cut the tension with his voice. "I'm scared, Case." He admitted softly, willing himself to stay next to her when all he wanted to do was run out of the room. "This wasn't supposed to happen, you know?"_

"_Well, it did." Came her sarcastic reply, muffled from the fabric._

"_Yeah, I know." He said as he held his head in one hand. "I'm sorry, but you of all people should know I'm not ready for this. Especially not right now. Give me a break."_

_Casey angrily turned over and sat up. "What, you think I _am_ ready for it?"_

"_You're certainly more ready than I am." She snorted. "Come on, Case. You know it's true. You're much more responsible then I'll ever hope to be. I mean, sure, I can take care of my younger siblings, or a friend's kid for a couple of hours. But my own child? I can't handle that, I just can't."_

_She wiped her eyes and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, well, neither can I. Especially not alone, Derek. I'm not going to raise a baby with out a father. And I'm _not_ going to get rid of it."_

_He became very interested in his hands, and Casey in the bed sheets. Then Derek came up with an idea._

"_How about we keep all of this to ourselves for a little bit, you know? I mean give both of us some time to think. And, in the meantime, you can go see a doctor. I'll take care of it, too, I promise. I can even come with you, if you want me to."_

_Casey nodded. "Yeah, I want you to."_

"_All right, cool. Well, I'll go look up some doctors, okay? And I'll call and find out the best one and we'll go see him tomorrow." She nodded again._

The next day, they did go to see an obstetrician, Doctor Mark Sanders. Doctor Sanders did not do much on their first visit and scheduled them to return in a week for a sonogram. When they did, he had some disturbing news.

_After being asked, Derek followed the doctor down the hall and they stood in front of Casey's examination room door._

"_Mr. Venturi, there's really no easy way for me to say this, but I'd like to inform you before I tell Casey so you can be there for her, as most women can take this pretty hard." Derek nodded silently, hundreds of questions floating through his mind. With a sigh, the doctor continued. "Ms. MacDonald is not pregnant." He said finally._

"_Did…was it a miscarriage?" Derek asked softly._

"_No, she was never in fact pregnant." While he said this, the doctor reached into the file he was holding and pulled out a picture. It was from Casey's sonogram. With a pen, he pointed to a white oval towards the center. "What Casey has is a very rare form of pseudocyesis, or false pregnancy. You see this? It's a semi-developed embryo. And judging by the dates you two have given me, she would be seven weeks in. Now, a fetus should be already developing here, but it's not, as you can very plainly see."_

"_Are you…I mean, how can you be sure? All the tests you gave her, they were all positive. What if it's just not there yet?"_

_Dr. Sanders slid the photograph back into his file and looked at Derek sadly. "I know. That's why it is called a false pregnancy. Her hormone levels, changes in her body, everything is reacting the way it would if she really were pregnant. Really, the only way to tell is by a sonogram."_

_Derek kept quiet as if taking in everything the doctor had just said. "And…she doesn't know?" The man shook his head. "Can I tell her?" he asked hesitantly._

By Dr. Sanders' standards, Casey took the news much better than the other women who he'd diagnosed. She only spent about thirty minutes in the exam room crying on Derek's shoulder. And, after that, she took a sick week at work to lie in bed. But, once she'd had her one week to be depressed, she was almost instantaneously better.

As hard as she tried, she could not keep herself away from Derek. Granted, they saw less of each other during the engagement, but about a week after the wedding, she decided to go back to school, in hopes of getting a higher position at her workplace, and of distracting herself from her life. Doing minor clerical work would not suit her forever and she was tired of the low pay.

_**Get a real job  
Keep the wind at your back and the sun on your face  
All the immediate unknowns are better than knowing this tired and lonely fate.  
Does he love you?  
Does he love you?  
Will he hold your tiny face in his hands?**_

After graduating with a Masters, the company Casey worked for offered her a transfer to San Diego. It was a hard decision, leaving everything behind. But she'd done it once when she was fifteen and was perfectly willing to do it again. And considering it was the main reason she had gotten her degree, she would have had difficulty saying no. Who knew when another position would open up? Plus, in her mind, it was the exact thing she needed to do in order to be able to get completely away from Derek. This way, she could finally move on with her life.

"_I know it's far, Mom, but it's such a great opportunity."_

_Nora MacDonald-Venturi put the mug she was sipping out of down and looked sadly at her eldest. "You're right." She replied, half smiling. "It just worries me. I don't want you to be so far away from me."_

_She returned her mother's smile and looked down at her own cup of coffee. "You know I'm not going to be there forever. And I'll visit on holidays."_

"_You have to promise to call me every day, too. This isn't like college in another town. It's a completely different country."_

_She rolled her eyes. "Mom, it's like a three hour flight. And I think the largest body of water I'll cross is Lake Eerie."_

_After the two women chuckled for a minute, Nora spoke up. "How are Mia and Derek feeling about it?"_

_She'd never been the best liar, but the years she spent having a relationship with Derek had taught her some useful skills. "They're totally behind me, one hundred percent." In truth, she hadn't told the newly married couple her plans. And she didn't intend to tell them until it was too late. But, seeing as her mother would probably tell George and then somehow, word would get back to Derek before she was able to leave, she realized she was going to have to let them in on her secret relatively soon._

_Or, she could take the easy way out, and let them find out via word of mouth. Yeah, that sounded like the best option._

Eventually, they did realize Casey had a new job. Unfortunately for Mia and Derek, however, it was only a few days before she was set to move. Mia took the news far better than Derek. She was genuinely happy for her friend, completely oblivious to the betrayal going on right in front of her. Casey had to admit that, for such a smart girl, she certainly lacked common sense.

The day her flight was scheduled, Casey was getting together a couple of last minute bags she was planning on taking on the plane, when she was interrupted by a knock on the door.

_As soon as she opened the door, his lips were on hers in probably the most passionate kisses they had ever shared. It didn't take long until they were on the floor of Casey's empty apartment, shedding each other of their clothes._

_Several minutes later, she was gathering her things and he was watching her mournfully. They hadn't said much to one another, only brief whispers of "I love you"._

"_Don't go, Casey." He said finally, when she had all of her stuff and was about to carry it downstairs._

"_I've already accepted the job." She replied. "And we both know this isn't going anywhere." She added sadly._

"_You can tell them you changed your mind, that you've decided you can't leave everything here." He tried again, this time walking over to her and embracing her. She dropped her luggage, sighing._

"_That doesn't change the fact that my second point remains valid. You know it's true."_

_They held one another silently for a long time before Derek finally spoke. _

"_Things could change, you know."_

"_What?"_

"_Mia and I…our relationship…it's not like it used to be."_

"_Derek, don't start this." She said, tears beginning to well up in her eyes._

"_It's true, though. I can't stop thinking about you, Casey. I've never been able to, since we were teenagers. You should know that." She opened her mouth to reply, but found words would not come out. "I love you, Casey. Please don't leave me, after all that we've been through."_

_There was another silence, this time broken by Casey._

"_This is what's best for us, what's best for me." She paused for a few moments before continuing. "We can't be together, you know that; you're a married man. And you've made it obvious to me you don't plan on leaving your wife any time soon. "_

"_I can, though. Whenever I want to, I can."_

_She sighed again. "Derek, I have to do this. Please let me have this chance."_

So, Casey MacDonald moved out of her one bedroom apartment she'd spent only a little over a year in, and settled herself down in an even smaller residence in the outer downtown part of San Diego.

_**I guess it's spring; I didn't know  
It's always seventy-five with no meltin' snow  
A married man, he visits me  
I receive his letters in the mail twice a week  
And I think he loves me  
And when he leaves her  
He's coming out to California**_

She tried to give him up, really. For goodness sake, she moved out of the country to get over him. But it was hard to do considering he called her almost everyday. He would email her during business meetings, telling her how bored he was, how he wished he was with her. And always, in every conversation, he would tell her how much he loved her.

"_I love you, Casey. Mia and I are fighting more and more." He wrote once. "We're going to separate and I'll come out there with you. I don't care what people say, we can start a new life together. We don't even have to be Derek and Casey. We can change our names and forget that we're even remotely related."_

It wasn't the first time in the eight months since she'd moved that he made the suggestion. In fact, almost every time they spoke, he would bring it up.

"_When I move out there, what will we change our names to?"_

_Casey decided to play along, just this once. She knew he wasn't being serious, but the fact that he continued to be bringing it up meant he was thinking about it, and thus, thinking about her. It made her happy to know she was missed, so she figured she'd indulge him._

"_Well, I've always liked the name Alicia." She admitted quietly, twirling her hair around her finger. "I'll be Alicia."_

"_I like that. Can I call you Ali?"_

_She found herself giggling. "Sure. And what do I call you, sir?"_

"_I don't know. What do you think?"_

_Casey thought on this for a moment. "I like Josh. How's that?"_

"_Josh, huh? How about Josh….Hughes. And you can be Mrs. Alicia Hughes. How does that sound?"_

"_It sounds perfect." She said, unable to keep herself from smiling. But realization hit her and the smile disappeared. "Too bad it's not happening, huh?"_

"_I know." He replied, not catching her meaning. "Soon, baby, soon. I promise."_

He didn't lie. Soon, he left Mia. But it was only temporary. He was scheduled to visit Los Angeles for two weeks.

"_I'm coming down." Even over the phone, he could tell how excited she was before she even spoke._

"_What? Really? When? What happened?"_

"_My flight gets in Sunday night. I'll be there for two weeks."_

"_Wait, two weeks, what?"_

"_I mean, technically, I'll be in LA for a few business meetings and to help set up a branch of our company down there. But I'll have plenty of off time, and San Diego is only like two hours away, right?"_

She could help but be disappointed by the fact that he was only visiting. But when he told her that the branch would need to be checked on about every other month, so he'd be back quite often, she perked up. Granted, it wasn't leaving his wife, but it was much better than living thirty-six hours away and in another country.

As time went on, however, his visits began to get more frequent and he would often stay longer than needed. Eventually, he was lying to people, telling them he was going for business, when he was really flying out just to be able to spend time with Casey.

Every time, he would reassure her of how much he loved her.

"_There are just so many things that are keeping me from it right now, you know? But I'm going to leave her. Just wait, baby, I'll be down here with you permanently before long. We can buy a house on the beach and have a baby, start our own family as Josh and Alicia Hughes. You'll see."_

_**I guess it all worked out  
There's a ring on your finger and the baby's due out  
You share a place by the park and run a shop for antiques downtown  
And he loves you, yeah he loves you, and the two of you will soon become three  
And he loves you, even though you used to say you were flawed if you weren't free**_

She had been relatively happy about the arrangement. She was getting to see Derek for three or four days at a time, every other week. And his wife, her best friend, still had absolutely no clue. It wasn't ideal, obviously, but for the two of them, it was working out. She should have known it was all going to change soon, though. It was all going too well.

_She was just finishing tucking in the top sheet to her bed when the cell phone rang. She flipped it open quickly, anxious to hear her friends voice._

"_Hello?"_

"_We bought a house!" Mia squealed excitedly on the other end of the line._

"_You what?"_

"_Derek and I bought this adorable house downtown. It's two stories and absolutely perfect; three upstairs bedrooms and an enormous kitchen and living room and this den. Oh, Casey, it's awesome. He's signing every thing right now."_

"_That's great, Mia." Casey did her best to sound happy as she slumped down on her freshly made bed. She was expecting Derek to be in later that afternoon, but judging from what Mia said, he was no longer making that trip._

"_Yeah, and you know the jewelry I used to make in college?"_

"_Uh-huh?"_

"_Well, there's this study in the front of the house that I'm going to turn into a shop where I can sell some of it!"_

"_Oh, wow. Well, congratulations. I hope that goes well."_

"_Yeah," she started, almost completely out of breath, as if she'd been talking so much that it exhausted her. "Well, I mean Derek's job is making us plenty of money – obviously, we just bought our first house! Anyway, we both just figured it's something I could do on the side, and we can save up for something nice, like maybe a trip for the whole family in a few years."_

"_That sounds nice." By now, these replies were almost instinctive. Most times Mia called it was to gush about something, and Casey knew exactly what to say and when to say it to make the girl think she was paying attention._

"_Oh my gosh, I almost forgot! Speaking of family, guess what else?_

"_I have no idea, what?"_

"_I'm pregnant!"_

_The words hit Casey so hard that she actually dropped the cell phone. It fell to her feet and snapped shut abruptly. It wasn't until it rang again a few moments later that she was brought out of her stupor._

"_Casey, did you just hang up on me?" Mia asked jokingly._

_Assuming she was caught, Casey admitted the truth. "I was just shocked. I dropped the phone. Are you guys sure you're ready for this?"_

Mia had taken the time to explain how they'd been trying for a while and they were definitely more than ready to have their child, especially after three years of marriage. Flustered, Casey made up some excuse and told the girl she had to get off the phone.

It wasn't fair, really. Mia had taken everything she'd ever wanted. First, it was Derek. Next, it was her hope of having a life with him. Then, her house and now, her child. Okay, so it wasn't exactly _her_ house or _her_ child. But it may as well have been. In her eyes, it was the child that she was meant to have a few years before; Derek's offspring.

She didn't understand how she could keep referring to Mia as her best friend; possibly it was only a facade in order to keep people from being suspicious of her relationship with Derek. But it was becoming increasingly difficult as time wore on and Casey wasn't entirely sure how much longer she'd be able to do it without breaking face.

_**Let's not forget ourselves good friend  
You and I were almost dead  
And you're better off for leavin'  
Yeah you're better off for leavin'**_

Nearly a week passed before she would answer Derek's phone calls after the incident about Mia being pregnant. It was a heated conversation – mainly Derek apologizing for not leaving her already and Casey yelling at him for the same thing. Towards the end of the argument, Casey began to get irrational.

"_I think you're just trying to rub it in my face!" she yelled at him. "You're not ever going to leave her and you know it. Deep down, I know it, too. And you're flaunting the fact that I can't get over you in front of me. You're using my own pathetic self against me."_

"_Casey, what are you talking about?"_

"_You don't even love me."_

"_What? Of course I do. Baby, I love you so much."_

"_That's easy to say from thousands of miles away! You can't love both of us, Derek; it's as simple as that. Either you love her or you love me."_

"_No, it's not as simple—"_

"_And since you're _very_ willing to have her child when you were scared shitless to have mine, I think that solves the riddle."_

"_That's not fair, Casey."_

"_Oh, it's not?"_

"_No, it's not. These are completely different circumstances. Mia and I are married. And, you know, we're not fucking _related _to each other!" He could tell Casey wanted to say something, but he kept going, not allowing her to. "Plus, I'm older now and I have a more stable job. I make good money. I can support a family. I couldn't have done that when we thought you were pregnant."_

"_Well, then thank God we're not, I'd hate for you to be the father of my child!"_

_Derek paused, not completely believing what she said. "What?"_

"_I wouldn't want it to turn out like you!"_

It was easy for her to say at the time, but at the end of their exchange, she regretted it. She felt horrible about it and took a good forty-eight hours in order to work up enough nerve so she could call him and apologize.

"_It's all right." He told her softly. "You have every right to be mad at me. I don't blame you. But that doesn't mean it didn't hurt me."_

_She half laughed through her tears, wiping her nose with a Kleenex. "Well, it's certainly a good thing I moved away so things didn't get more screwed up than they already were, huh?"_

_Derek smiled at her attempted humor, but honestly found the situation quite somber. "I hope you know that I'll never forgive myself for forcing you away."_

"_Derek, you didn't force—"_

"_No, no. I did. You were right, if it weren't for me, neither of us would be in this whole mess. And I wouldn't have to deal with this decision of 'which love do I focus on today?' and you wouldn't always be in pain because I can't be there with you and Mia wouldn't be suspicious of everything."_

_She didn't know how to reply to his sudden outburst of honesty, so she simply listened, sniffling slightly in the background._

"_I need you to know that, if I could without any repercussions, I'd leave her tomorrow. But now, with the baby, and with a house payment and my job…she wouldn't be able to handle it all by herself. And, like it or not, I care about her. I love her, too. I'm sorry I have to tell you that, but it's the truth. I don't want to hurt her. And like I said, I need you to know."_

"_So, what does that mean?"_

They agreed to keep seeing each other, but since the baby was on the way, he was going to have to keep the regularity of his trips to the California to a minimum. By the time his daughter was born, he was back to coming only about once every other month.

But as the months went on, and the baby grew older, and his patience grew thinner, he began to make the trips more often again. And when he couldn't make the flights out, he would call.

"_I don't know how much more I can take of this, baby. I've got to leave her soon. I will, I promise."_

Always with the empty promises.

_**Late at night, I get the phone  
You're at the shop sobbin' all alone  
Your confession is coming out  
You only married him, you felt your time was running out  
But now you love him, and your baby  
At last you are complete  
But he's distant and you found him on the phone pleading saying  
"Baby I love you and I'll leave her and I'm comin' out to California"**_

She flipped the switch on the stove, intending to heat it up, only to be interrupted by the shrill ring of her cell phone. She recognized the song immediately and almost regretted answering it. However, if she hadn't, the person would just call back again and again, until she did. So, she dug it out of her purse quickly and opened it, not expecting the sound on the other end.

"Hello?"

There was a sniffle, followed by a quiet sob.

"Mia?"

Now a short pause, followed by another sniff.

"Sweetheart, what's the matter?" Casey asked, moving to put a pot on the burner.

"Do…do you think he still loves me, Casey?"

The woman was caught completely off guard by the question. Of course, Mia was talking about Derek. And Casey knew all too well the answer to her query. Honestly, it had only consumed her entire life for something like ten years.

"Of course he does. What kind of a question is that? You know he loves you, Mia." She did her best to sound enthusiastic and surprised herself at how good of an actress she was becoming. Maybe she should move down to LA and pursue it.

Nah. It wasn't worth the effort.

"I know. I mean, deep down, I do. It's just, sometimes I wonder, you know?" She paused to, what it sounded like to Casey, blow her nose. "I love him so much. I've given so many years of my life to this man. We've been married for five years next month, Casey, five years. Did you know that?"

"Yeah." She replied automatically. Truth was, the only reason she knew was because Derek had called the day before to tell her he couldn't come out like he was planning and that he'd try his best to make it before then.

"_It's kind of a big anniversary, Case. I'm sorry, baby, but you know I can't miss that. Not after what happened a few months ago."_

"A few months ago", he'd come to the States on Mia's brother's birthday, when he was apparently coming up to visit. Derek had completely forgotten and, as punishment, gone home to three days of the silent treatment and a two-hour lecture after that. The thing was, that time he really did have to be down there, not that he could use that excuse on Mia.

"We have a daughter. We have a fucking daughter. You know, if you went back to the time when we were freshman and asked me where I thought I'd be in ten years, I can guarantee my answer would not be anywhere close to married with a child, living in downtown Toronto, you know?" Mia's voice was cracking on every few words and she struggled to keep from bursting into tears again.

"Yeah, I mean, I guess so. But how can you really predict that far ahead? How can anyone? I would have never thought I'd be offered a job in California." It was the best retort Casey could come up with and Mia didn't seem to buy it.

"Oh, yeah, don't even get me started on Derek's 'business trips' out there."

Something about Mia's changed tone startled Casey. Her pulse sped up uncontrollably and she felt herself gripping the edge of her bar for support. "What…What do you mean?"

Her sobs started again and Casey's muscles tightened all the more at the words that came from her best friend's mouth. "He's cheating on me, Casey, with someone down there."

"Well, wait a minute. You don't know that for sure, right? I mean, he's here for business, I can definitely vouch for—"

"Oh, bullshit!" Mia yelled into the phone. "I heard him on the phone with the bitch the other night." Feeling light headed, Casey sank down to the stool behind her, her mind drifting back to the conversation with Derek from a few days prior that was cut short. How much did Mia know, exactly?

"Do you know who she is?" she asked hesitantly. She didn't want to seem suspicious.

"I don't know her name or anything; I just heard what he told her."

Casey took a deep breath, involuntarily relaxing when she knew she was technically still in the clear. "Which was?"

" 'I'm going to leave her, baby. Soon, I promise. I've just got some loose ends to tie up at work. I love you, I want to come to California to be with you.' " Casey's gasp made Mia stop. "Yeah, I know, I could keep going. I mean he went on like that for probably ten minutes."

"Fifteen." Casey found herself replying, rolling her eyes as she remembered the conversation. She figured it was the hundredth time that he told her that work was the reason he was putting off leaving Mia. Why she kept believing him, she didn't know.

"What?" Mia voice broke into her thoughts.

"I mean, um, if I know Derek, it was probably fifteen minutes." She recovered. "He usually argues as long as he has to in order to get his way, you know?" It was the truth. Derek would go on and on, and on, until who ever he was talking to would finally succumb to his wishes. It didn't normally take him fifteen minutes to persuade someone, but for some reason that night, Casey had felt rather stubborn.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Mia said, half laughing.

Both women were quiet for a few moments, contemplating what to say next.

"So, what're you going to do?" Casey asked, breaking the silence.

Mia sighed. "I guess we'll just have to talk about it when I get home tonight. I need to get back, anyway."

_Beep_

"Why don't you wash your face first, clean up a bit? Don't show him how much he's hurting you, okay? Call me in a while, Mom's on the other line. I love you." The other girl returned the sentiment and Casey pressed the swap button after the third beep with out looking, figuring it would be her mother. "Hello?"

"Hey, baby. How are you today?"

She couldn't keep the smile from creeping on her face when he said baby. "Hey Derek." She said softly, dwelling on the talk she'd just had. "What're you doing calling me right now?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Casey sighed. "I just got off the phone with Mia." She started accusingly.

"Really? Because she's not home. I'm not sure where she's at, actually."

"She didn't say. But she was balling, Derek. She knows."

"Knows what?"

"What do you think she knows?" Casey snapped, slamming a plate down in front of her. She was mildly surprised when it didn't break and began piling food onto it.

"How…how do you know?" His voice was full of fear.

"She told me! Her exact words were 'He's cheating on me, Casey, with someone down there. I heard him on the phone with the bitch the other night.' "

"The bitch?" He inquired, curious. Obviously, he'd picked up on the fact that Mia wouldn't be calling Casey "the bitch" if she knew that she was the one he was cheating with.

"She doesn't know it's me, but that doesn't matter. The point is…it's over. We can't do this any more."

Derek kept quiet on the other end of the line, obviously weighing his options.

"I don't want to lose you." He said finally. It was like one last attempt to reconcile the relationship, to push things even further than they had gone. But she wouldn't yield.

Casey set the spoon she was using as a stir-stick down and turned off the burner. She leaned on the bar, burying her face in her hands and sinking down to the barstool after moment or two. Eventually she got the courage to say something. "You're not going to lose me, Derek." He didn't respond, so she continued. "I love you, you know that. But as long as you're with her, I can't be with you anymore."

There was a long pause and even though they were miles apart, you could cut the tension with a knife.

"I understand." He admitted quietly. "Let's…not make it awkward at holidays, okay?"

The woman nodded. "It never really has been, why should now be any different?"

"Well, because you're breaking up with me for good, now. There's no changing your mind this time. I can see that." He stated, acting as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Smiling sadly, she allowed herself to say the words she'd wanted to say for the past nine years. "Goodbye, Derek."

_**Let's not forget ourselves good friend  
I am flawed if I'm not free  
And your husband will never leave you  
He will never leave you for me**_

As she flips the cell phone closed sadly, Casey MacDonald has a hard time stopping the tears from falling. The more she thinks about it, the more she grasps the fact that the conversation she has just finished was inevitable, for several reasons. Things just should have never been started between them, so long ago. But how could something so wrong, feel so incredibly right?

* * *

**All right, so...there you have.**

**-hides from the rotten vegetables-**

**Don't hate me, please. There are just so many Daseys out there, I mean...in a real situation like this, things would pretty much not have worked out. So yeah, if it helps you...you can think that Mia went back to their house, yelled at Derek, took the baby and left and he moved out to be with Casey as Mr. and Mrs. Josh Hughes.**

**I hope you all liked it. Reviews are appreciated! Please, let me know what you thought! **


	3. Dedication & Sequel Info

All right, I know that I said this story was done. Buuuuut…well, I'm a Dasey shipper, really. And I guess I just couldn't leave their relationship at that. So, on that note, stay tuned for the one chapter sequel to this, titled _And I Think He Loves Me._

So, if you enjoyed this story, except for the ending…well, be sure to read it! Please!

Also, as an after thought, I wanted to dedicate this story and its sequel to my good friend, Stephanie. The condition I described Casey having in Part Two, pseudocyesis, is a relatively rare condition that accounts for something like 6 out of every 22, 000 pregnancies in the United States. Stephanie was unfortunate in having this happen to her earlier this year and it completely devastated her, her husband, and her entire family. It was a very traumatic ordeal for everyone involved, but she's doing well now. Her husband just recently got a new job and apparently, as soon as they're settled into their new life in this new city, they're going to try to conceive again. So, keep them in your thoughts, if you will please. Thank you so much.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and please check out the final installment of my Derek-Casey-Mia triangle…how it _should_ have ended, I'll say. I'll get it up with in the next twenty-four hours. I PROMISE!

- Danielle


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